Iona University’s Dr. Christine Hardigree Named to National Fellowship for Educator-Preparation Leaders
Christine Hardigree, Ph.D.
Dr. Christine Hardigree, chair of the Education Department at Iona University, has been named an Impact Academy fellow through national non-profit organization Deans for Impact (DFI). Hardigree joins a cohort of leaders chosen for their commitment to strengthening educator preparation and ensuring future teachers are prepared to meet the needs of all students.
Educator-preparation leaders today are navigating a rapidly-evolving landscape, from emerging technologies like AI and new strategic staffing models to reading and math instructional policy shifts, tightening budgets, enrollment pressures, and changing workforce needs. More than ever, the field needs leaders who can guide change with clarity, courage, and care while keeping student learning at the center.
DFI aims to support this need through its Impact Academy fellowship, which has developed a national network of nearly 200 education deans and executive-level leaders who are today working within and beyond educator preparation to strengthen teaching and learning. The fellowship supports leaders to prioritize evidence-based instruction, navigate their teams through continuous change, deepen partnerships with schools and communities, and build accessible, high-quality pathways into teaching.
Hardigree is one of 24 leaders announced as part of the fellowship's 11th cohort. This year's fellows represent a wide range of contexts and communities in which future teachers are prepared, including public and private universities, community colleges, national programs, school districts, and innovative teacher-preparation pathways. Together, they share a commitment to strengthening systems of education so that more students are taught by well-prepared teachers.
“This opportunity comes at a pivotal time for teacher preparation, and I'm eager to bring what I've built at Iona — around literacy, accreditation, and equity for multilingual learners — into dialogue with a national community of leaders, then bring that learning home,” Hardigree said.
Fellows will participate in in-person and virtual monthly cohort-based learning, receive 1:1 coaching from veteran leaders, and engage in peer consultancies focused on the field's most pressing challenges. Over the course of the year, they will workshop solutions to adaptive challenges: complex problems leaders face when change depends not only on technical or structural fixes, but on shifting mindsets, relationships, and ways of working.
“Educator-preparation leaders are being asked to make important decisions in a moment of rapid change,” said Valerie Sakimura, CEO of DFI. “This cohort of leaders stands out for their willingness to engage in complexity with deep care for students, their learning, and their futures. We’re excited to support these leaders as they meet the moment and help ensure every student is taught by well-prepared teachers.”
Learn more about this year’s Impact Academy cohort at www.deansforimpact.org.
About Deans for Impact (DFI)
Deans for Impact (DFI) is a national non-profit organization committed to ensuring that every child is taught by a well-prepared teacher. DFI supports educator-preparation programs to bring the science of learning into teaching practice; partners with policymakers to ensure pathways into teaching are instructionally-focused, practice-based, accessible, and innovative and responsive; and equips leaders with the tools to address today’s most pressing challenges in educator preparation. Guided by principles of learning science, DFI aims to help aspiring and early-career teachers create rigorous and affirming classrooms where all children thrive. For more information, visit deansforimpact.org.
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of over 4,000 students and an alumni base of 55,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Nursing & Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona also continues to be recognized in prestigious national rankings. Most recently for 2026, Iona has been named one of the nation’s best colleges by The Princeton Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and others. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report recognized Iona as one of top for social mobility in the country, while Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) ranked an Iona degree in the top 6 percent nationally for long-term return on investment. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business, meanwhile, is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just 6 percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review once again named Iona to its “Best Business Schools for 2025,” recognizing both its on-campus and online MBA programs. Connecting to its Irish heritage, Iona also opened a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland, located on the historic 400-acre Westport House Estate. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.